


Old Dog, New Puppy

by therunawaypen



Series: 00Q Tumblr Prompt Fills [53]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Dog Shelter, Dogs, Dutch, German Shepherd, M/M, Puppies, Terrier, pound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-06
Updated: 2014-01-10
Packaged: 2018-01-03 20:45:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1072873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therunawaypen/pseuds/therunawaypen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Q decide to adopt a dog. The problem choosing just one, especially when Q is smitten by all the puppies...and James is drawn to one old attack dog that no one looks twice at.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ooh! I have a prompt! Q and James have just moved in together, and they’ve decided to adopt a dog from a shelter. Problem is, Q’s found the puppy section, and he wants at least, like, 10. Fluffy and cute! —anon

In hindsight, going to the dog shelter to adopt a dog might not have been the best idea either of them had had.

Adopting a dog wasn’t the problem. Both James and Q had agreed that a pet would be a good addition to their shared home. It could keep one of them company if the other was away for long (not to mention James liked the idea of Q not being alone when he was on assignment).

No, the problem was…just picking _one_.

“James, look at them!”

The biggest mistake was letting Q anywhere _near_ the puppies. Now the younger man was hopelessly lost in the middle of a pile of playful, yapping puppies. It would probably take an hour just to get Q away from the mass of dogs, let alone pick _one_ to take home.

“You do realize we can’t adopt them all, Q, right?” James chuckled, watching his lover.

Q, who was currently holding a golden retriever puppy, looked up at James, “But James, _look at them_.”

“I am looking at them Q.” James chuckled, “You’re just making it harder on—”

“Oh look! Dalmatian puppies!” Q gasped, picking up a small white puppy, the black spots barely visible on its fur.

James shook his head, “We are _not_ having a Dalmatian plantation, Q.”

Q laughed, “Would that make you Roger Radcliff?” He teased.

“Well that would make you Anita.” James chuckled, looking around the shelter at the other dogs.

While he knew that Q would want a puppy, James couldn’t help but look at the older dogs, the ones who had been there for a while. Maybe it was his age showing, but James couldn’t help but sympathize with the dogs who had seen more years than most, who might have gone through some rough owners and, in all honestly, be ignored for the more attractive puppies.

It was the German Shepherd that caught his eye, pacing its cage in agitation. There was a warning note on the cage, stating that the dog was aggressive and did not play with others. James could relate: he could recognize an attack dog when he saw one, a combat dog. One that, without a master or a command to follow, was in great distress.

If James was correct about the particular breed of combat dog, it should respond well to a trained handler.

“ _Zitten_.” James spoke firmly, standing in front of the dog’s cage.

The Shepherd sat, looking up at James, who couldn’t repress a smile. An attack dog who only understood Dutch commands…no wonder the shelter had labeled it aggressive.

“ _Goede jongen.”_ James nodded to the dog, then paused as he read more about the dog’s information, “Oh, excuse me, _braaf meisje.”_ No sense in insulting the dog after she had been so eager to obey his commands.

“James?” Q was back, this time holding a small terrier puppy in his arms.

The 00 smiled, “You finally decided on one?”

“Well, this one decided on me, actually.” Q chuckled, “He grabbed my trouser leg and wouldn’t let me go, even when I got up to come find you.” He smiled, then looked at Shepherd, “Really James?”

James shrugged, “Poor thing has been without a handler for a while, and no one here knows she needs to be given commands in Dutch.”

Q blinked, “How did _you_ know to give commands in Dutch?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I picked it up before MI6.” James nodded.

Q nodded with James, watching the Shepherd, “So…it won’t attack without a command?”

In response, James knelt down, sticking his hand into the cage. Before any of the shelter employees could run over to warn James of the danger, the Shepherd curiously licked James’s hand.

“ _Braaf meisje._ ” James smiled, looking at Q, “See? She’s a good girl.”

Q paused, watching James and the Shepherd. Then, he smiled, “Well,” he chuckled, “It is only one more mouth to feed.”


	2. Chapter 2

James stared at the running shoe in his hand. A running shoe that had the toe chewed out of it.

“Damn, and I had just broken these in…” He let out a long, agitated sigh, “Einstein!”

There was a frantic skittering of claws against the hardwood floor of the hallway before a tiny furry head poked its way into the doorway of the bedroom.

James gave a low whistle, “Come here, Einstein.”

The tiny puppy scampered across the room, tail wagging happily. James held up the chewed on shoe, “Did you do this?”

The drooping tail told him enough.

“Mhm, thought so.” James put on his firmest look, “ _Slechte hond.”_

Einstein’s ears drooped at the scolding, a low whine in his throat. The little pup never did take scoldings from James very well, and no doubt he would run and hide behind Q for the next hour.

Q naming the little Norwich terrier puppy Einstein was probably the most stereotypical thing James could imagine. But the little pup absolutely adored Q, and any praise from the Quartermaster had the terrier happily spinning in circles.

As for the Shepherd, she had already had a name from her time in the service, and James knew better than to try and change it.

“Who names a military dog Liz?” Q had asked when they had gotten the dogs’ paperwork, curious.

“They aren’t all named Ripper and Fang, Q.” James had reminded him, “And now we have two Queens in our lives named Elizabeth.”

It was a slow process adjusting Liz to life outside a cage, one that James was more than willing to help with. Liz was a big dog, she was likely to get restless without proper exercise. So James often took her out on long runs where they would practice the same training Liz had undergone while she had been a military dog.

A run that James could no longer go on because his good running shoes were ruined.

But the scolding was interrupted by Q’s voice coming from down the hall, “Sitten!”

James sighed, getting up and poking his head out into the hallway. Q was sitting on the living room couch, reading at a list of Dutch commands that James had worked out with Liz (if there was going to be an attack dog in the house, both of them were going to know the proper way to handle her). Liz was standing in front of Q, ears perked up and whining softly.

Alright, so Q’s Dutch needed some work, “Q…”

Q looked up from his list, “Hm?”

“It’s _zitten_.” James smiled, “Now, say it firmly, and look Liz in the eye.”

The Quartermaster nodded, turning his attention back to Liz, “ _Zitten._ ” He said calmly.

Liz sat down without another word, watching Q carefully.

“Oh!” Q actually looked surprised that he managed to get the order correct. He quickly looked down his list, “Um _… braaf meisje.”_

James chuckled, amused at Q and Liz’s slowly working relationship.

A high pitched whine in the bedroom caught James’s attention. Turning his head to look back into the bedroom, the 00 agent saw Einstein. The tiny pup was sitting in the middle of the room, looking up at James for approval.

While James was still annoyed at Einstein for chewing his shoes, he had to admit…the puppy was absolutely adorable at times.

“Oh alright…” James smiled, “ _Goede jongen_.”


End file.
